NOAA Expands Fishing Closed Area In Gulf

US - NOAA has expanded the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico to capture portions of the oil slick moving beyond the areas current northern boundary, off the Florida panhandles federal-state waterline. This boundary was moved to Panama City Beach.

This federal closure does not apply to any state waters. Closing fishing in these areas is a precautionary measure to ensure that seafood from the Gulf will remain safe for consumers.

The closed area now represents 80,806 square miles, which is approximately 33.4 per cent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters. This leaves more than 66 percent of Gulf federal waters available for fishing. The closure will be effective at 6:00 pm EDT. Details can be found at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/. The last closed area modification was June 7, when 78,264 square miles were closed to fishing, or roughly 32 per cent of federal waters of the Gulf.